Magazine fuse-box.



No. 706,062. Patented Aug. 5, I902. H. L. HUNT & W. E. MOON.

MAGAZINE FUSE BOX. (Application filed NOV, 5, 1901.] no Model.)

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HARRY L. HUNT AND WILLIAM E. MOON, OF TRAVERSE CITY, ll'IICHIGAN.

MAGAZINE FUSE-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Fatent No. 706,062, dated August5, 1902.

Application filed November 5,1901. Serial No. 81,254. (No modelh To aZZwhom it mag concern.-

Be it known that We, HARRY L. I-IUN'r and WILLIAM E. MOON, citizens ofthe United States, residing at Traverse City,in the county of GrandTraverse and State of Michigan, have invented a new and useful MagazineFuse-Box, of which the followingis a specification.

This invention relates to that class of safety appliances for electricalsystems which cornprehend the employment of a plurality of fuses ormetallic sections of low resistance designed to burn out, and thus openthe electrical circuit when the current has reached the maximum strengthbeyond which the translating devices included in the system would beendangered.

The replacement of a burned-out fuse requires a high order of skill andsome little time. It has therefore been proposed to equip a fuse-boxwith a magazine carrying a number of fuses, any of which may be broughtinto position by the movement of the magazine to take the place of thefuse destroyed. It is to this class of magazine fuse-boxes that ourinvention more particularly relates; and it has for its object toimprove, simplify, and cheapen the construction, while rendering thedevice more effective and more surely operative than those devices ofsimilar nature with which we are familiar.

To the accomplishment of these objects and others subordinate thereto,all as will hereinafter more fully appear, the invention in itspreferred embodiment comprehends that combination and relation of partsto be hereinafter described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings,and embraced within the scope of the protection prayed.

In said drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of our device complete. Fig. 2is ahorizontal sectional View thereof. Fig. 3 is a transverse section onthe line 3 3 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 4. is a detail perspective View of themagazine or slide detached.

Like numerals and letters refer to corresponding parts throughout theviews.

1 indicates the porcelain casing or fuse-box, having an open frontprotected by mica or other transparent material 2 and provided at oneend with binding-posts 3 and 4, with which the line-wires 5 and 6 areconnected. The bolts 7, which connect the foot-plates of thebinding-screws with the end of the casing 1, extend to the inside of thecasing, where they pierce the ends of the conducting-plates S and 9,disposed along the opposite sides of the casing. These conducting-platesare in electrical connection with the bolts 7 and, while they may beretained in any suitable manner, are preferably held in position by thenuts 10, screwed upon the inner ends of the bolts. The conducting-plates8 and 9 at their ends opposite the bolts 7 are connected to the ends ofcontact plates or terminals 11 and 12, the former of which is of springform and the latter of which is provided with a spring-tongue 13,designed to maintain an electrical contact with a metallic contact-strip14:, extending along one side edge of the magazine or slide 15. Theslide 15 is made of any suitable nonconductive materialas, for instance,porcelain-and is slidably mounted in the casing or box 1, being guidedin its movement by a dovetailed guide-rib 16, extending along the bottomof the box and engaging a correspondingly-formed guide-groove 17 in thebottom of the slide. The contact-strip 14:, which, as stated, extendscontinuously along one side face of the magazine 15, is bent over theupper edge of the latter to form a supportingflange 18 for a series ofcontact-screws 19, designed to retain the adjacent ends of a series offuses a, b c, and d in electrical contact with the strip. These fusesare disposed in parallel relation and extend transversely across theslide 15 for electrical connection with a series of individualcontact-plates 20, 21, 22, and 23, secured to the face of the slide atthe side thereof opposite the strip 14 and bent over the front face ofthe slide to facilitate the attachment of the binding-screws 24, whichconnect the ends of the fuses opposite the screws 19 with the individualcontactplates. As the contact-spring 11 and the spring-tongue 13 areconstantly urged into contact with the opposite sides of the slide,magazine, or fuse-carrier, it will be evident that the tongue will be inconstant electrical contact with the strip 14 and that by the movementof the slide the spring 11 may be made to contact with either of theindividual.

contact-plates 2U, 21, 22, or 23, and thereby establish the circuitthrough either of the several fuses a, b, c, or cl.

The device constructed as thus far described would be entirely effectivefor the successive replacement of injured fuses without necessity fordetaching the burned-out fuse; but it is essential that provision bemade for limiting the movement of the slide, so that when the same isshifted it will stop in just the proper position to eifect the contactof the spring 11 with the next succeeding individual contact-plate.Inasmuch as economy of manufacture is a desideratum, we accomplish thisimportant result by so constructing the device that the spring-terminal11 performs the dual function of a stop memher and circuit-closer. Thespring 11 at its free end is curved to form a cam-surface, as indicatedat 25, which surface is received within one of a series of notches 2G,27, 28, and 29, formed in the side face of the slide 15 and defined byinclined walls 6, against which the individual contact-plates areimposed, and somewhat abruptly-curved Walls f, extending from the end ofa wall 6 to the adjacent end of the contiguous wall 8, as shown.Normally, as shown in Fig. 1, the cam end of the contactspring 11 willrest within a notchas, for instance, the notch 26-and will contact withone of the individual contact-plates, in this instance the plate 20, sothat the current passing through the wire 6 will be communicated by wayof the binding-post 4t and its bolt 7 to the conducting-plate 9, thenceto the plate 12, through the tongue 13 to the continuous strip 14:, andthence through the fuse 15, contactplate 20, contact=spring ll,contact-plate 8, bolt 7, and binding-post 3 to the wire 5. If now thetranslating devices in the circuit should be endangered by a suddenincrease in the current, the fuse a will be blown out, and the circuitwill thus be opened. It may be immediately closed, however, by slidingthe magazine 15 to present the next contactplate 21 and itscomplementary fuse b in a position opposite the contact-spring 11. Thismovement of the slide will be resisted by reason of the inclination ofthe face 6, against which the cam 25 of the spring 11 bears, and it willappear, therefore, that while the magazine may be readily shifted by theoperator it will be impossible for it to shift its position throughordinary accident. It is even more important, however, that the backwardshifting of the magazine should be prevented, because in such an event aburned-out fuse would again be brought opposite the spring. It is forthis reason that the faces fof the notches are made comparativelyabrupt, as it is intended that the backward movement of the magazineshall only be accomplished by positive exertion of force greater thanwould be brought to bear thereon by a person inclined to be meddlesome.These faces, howover, while much more abrupt than the faces 6 arerounded, so that the slide may be drawn.

out and burned-out or blown fuses replaced without removing the slideentirely from the casing or box. The slide may then be shoved back toits original position by the operator. This enables a person to refillthe magazine or slide without opening the electrical circuit butmomentarily. The manipulation of the slide is facilitated by a knob 30;but obviously any desired means may be substituted in lieu thereof toenable the magazine to be quickly shifted for the purpose of replacing afuse in the event of the automatic opening of the circuit.

It is thought that from the foregoing the construction and operation ofour invention will be clearly apparent to those skilled in the art; butwhile the illustrated embodiment of said invention is thought at thistime to be preferable we do not wish to limit ourselves to thestructural details defined, as, on the contrary, we reserve the right toeffect such changes, modifications, and variations thereof as may besuggested by experience and experiment and embraced within the scope ofthe appended claims. For instance, any number of fuses may be mounted oneach slide or any number of slides may be disposed in each box, aplurality of slides being particularly desirable in metalliccircuit-wiring.

hat we claim is 1. In a device of the character described, thecombination with a fuse-box, of a pair of circuit-terminals, one ofwhich has the form of a spring, a magazine-slide mounted in the fuse-box and provided with a series of notches at one side disposed forengagement with the end of the spring-terminal, individual contact-plates located within said notches, fuses extended from saidindividual contact-plates to the opposite side of the magazine-slide,and means for effecting electrical connection between the othercircuit-terminal and the ends of the fuses at the side of the slideopposite the individual contact-plates.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with afuse-box, and circuitterminals therein in the form of springs, of amagazine formed in one side face thereof with a series of notches eachdefined by an inclined wall and an abruptly-curved wall, individualcontact-plates imposed upon the several inclined walls, fuses extendingfrom said plates to the opposite side of the magazine, and a continuouscontact-plate connected to the several fuses and disposed in slidingcontact with the circuit-terminal located at the side of the magazineopposite the individual eontact-plates.

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with afuse-box, and a pair of circuit-terminals in the form of springs, one ofwhich has its free extremity curved, of a magazine-slide mounted in thefuse-box and provided with a series of notches at one side disposed forengagement with the curved end of the adjacent circuit-terminal,individual. contact-plates located. within said notches,

fuses extending from said individual contactour own We have heretoaffixed our signatures plates to the opposite side of the magazine, inthe presence of two Witnesses.

and a continuous contact-plate connected to the ends of the fusesopposite the individual 5 contact-plates and disposed in constantsliding engagement with the other circuit-ter- Vitnesses:

minal. WINFIELD S. MooN,

In testimony that We claim the foregoing as GEORGE H. CROSS,

